Fighting Fate
by IlluminatedM
Summary: After only 2 short years, Bella finds herself trapped in a Hellish existence with no way out. Lost, scared, and addicted to her own misery, she abandons all hope of family, love, or a future besides an empty abyss. The Cullens haven't seen her since her 18th birthday, but one of their own finds her on the brink of an intended ending and her world is rocked once more...
1. What Happened to You, Bella?

I found myself lost in a dark alley not far from the Space Needle, just after midnight.

"Come on, Sugar," He whispered into my ear, "I'm about to give you the ride of your life."

_Just one more time couldn't hurt, right?_

I felt the needle hit my vein as I nodded my head, and I realized that I'd never even asked his name. It made the scar across my stomach and the marks up my arms burn, reminding me of what I was.

_ADDICT._

Whatever he gave me, I never bothered to ask-already too high to care- it had me soaring the second it hit my bloodstream. It was as if liquid ice had replaced my blood, and it was the single most amazing sensation I'd ever felt in my life. It felt like hours, although it was probably only a few minutes, of ecstasy rolling across my skin, until I started to choke.

There was something, some thick, bubbling fluid, building up in my throat, and I couldn't breathe. The ecstasitic feeling vanished instantly, and the world was pure whiteness. I reached for the man I'd met earlier for help, but everything was so bright and foggy- I couldn't find him in the abyss. I felt the gravel disappear from beneath my feet as I reached the sidewalk just before I felt my eyes roll backward, and the entire world went black, disappearing and drifting me into a land of nightmares.

In my rolling dreams, I heard angelic voices calling my name, but they were somehow distorted, tearing at my already impressionable psyche. Worriedly, angrily, quietly, the voices reached for me, wrapping around my throat and choking me as I drifted.

_Is this what Hell is like?_

After hours of visionless noise, I pulled my heavy eyelids open and was blinded by light. This, however, was natural, bringing me from my earlier psychedelic state and into the world of reality. As my vision focused, I came to see Carlisle and Jasper Cullen standing worriedly over me.

Assuming that this was a hallucinogenic effect, I reached out to touch Jasper's face, shocked to find that his sculpted, marble skin was realistic and textured beneath my touch. I winced as an unfamiliar pain shot up my side and was greeted with the harsh fact that I truly had returned to reality. I then reached for Carlisle, surprised to find that he, too, was truly standing before me.

"I haven't seen you in…" I began, but as I realized the irrelevance, I moved on to a different subject.

"Where am I?" I asked, looking around.

As I did, I was greeted by the familiar sight of the Cullen's Forks home.

"Why am I here?" I screeched, trying to rise but finding it far too difficult just to prop myself up in the bed that I was lying in. This, I realized, was Alice's room.

Carlisle rested his hand on my shoulder and gently laid me back in the bed, leaving a fatherly kiss on my forehead as he told me, "I believe that that is Jasper's place to explain, as I was not actually present."

He left the room, and Jasper pulled a chair up to my bedside, letting out a shaky, angry chuckled.

"I found you, blacked out on Fairview Drive, choking on the foam that was bubbling out of your throat. Your nose and head were bleeding out onto the pavement, and I could feel broken ribs as I picked you up. I ran you here, knowing that Carlisle could help you better than anyone else, if worse came to worse, and he had you stabilized as quickly as he could,"

He paused for a moment and sighed,

"Your serotonin levels were shot, and you were already in the middle of overdosing on a mixture of heroin and methamphetamines, and your heart rate was nearly about to send you into a young grave."

I let out a heavy sigh.

_Just my luck that I was finally about to be put out of my misery when a vampire with a heart decided to play hero._

He raised his eyebrows at me, and I mentally kicked myself for forgetting that I was in the presence of am empath.

"But that's what you were aiming for, wasn't it?"

I didn't respond and flinched as Jasper ran a hand over my arm, irritating the slices hidden by the sleeves of my shirt. He raised an eyebrow and sent me a worried glance as I pulled away from him.

He caught my arm and told me authoritatively, "Bella, if it's broken, I need to take a look at it."

I saw his eyebrows knit together in confusion as he felt the fear and humiliation roll across my skin, and he pulled my sleeve up to my elbow.

Staring downward, I heard him suck in a breath.

"Jesus Christ."

In a sudden flash of movement, he yanked my sleeve back down and stood up, straightening his posture.

"Jasper?" I asked him worriedly.

I heard a door shut down stairs as he told me quietly,

"They're here."


	2. Burning Rage

**A/N: YES, I AM TURNING THIS INTO A FULL FIC :)**

* * *

Holding tightly onto the sides of my sleeves, my eyes widened as the entire Cullen family crowded my doorway. To my surprise and heartbreak, Edward did not stand with them. Jasper looked at me worriedly, but I tried to ignore him as Emmett rushed to my bedside. He hurriedly attempted to pick me up, causing pain to shoot through my body and my fear to spike, to which Jasper screamed,

"Emmett! Don't touch her!"

With widened eyes Emmett turned to look at him, "Why not?!"

"Because she's in pain, and she doesn't _want_ you to touch her!"

I almost felt a twinge of pity and regret for hurting my lost brother, but my mind quickly reminded me that the reality of the situation could not be ignored.

_They didn't want you then; they won't want you now._

My expression hardened, and I saw Jasper glance at me again with a confused expression. It was at that particular moment that the rest of the family decided it was a good time to enter the room, and I could feel my own hatred physically overwhelming Jasper from across the room. Out of all of the Cullens, Alice and Esme were the ones I felt the most betrayal from.

There they were, the women who had given me my first real sense of belonging. Alice was my best friend and the closest thing to a sister that I'd ever had, and she hadn't cared enough to so much as send me a letter since the day they'd left. And Esme, oh Esme… It only took a few months of mourning before I realized that the only way I was considered her "daughter" was if I was playing house with her son. Esme had told me she loved me at dinner, and then walked out of my life three hours later without so much as a goodbye. Some _family_ they were… I was better off with _Charlie,_ although I try rather hard not to think about him either…

Breaking me out of my train of thought, I heard Jasper grind out his words, "Everybody, get. out."

With a mental sigh of relief from me, the family slowly faded from the room, realizing that whatever had Jasper in such a state was clearly coming from my emotions. Before she left, however, Esme attempted a hug- to which I statued myself on spot and refused to move. It seemed to deliver my message as she sobbed under her breath and pushed the family out of the room with her.

The door quietly shut behind them, and I was left with Jasper standing on the other side of the room. He was staring at me, perplexed, before I saw a strong resolve replace his once sympathetic features.

"Let me have it."

Confused, I simply sent him a wave of curiosity, hoping he would understand my desire to have a private conversation although we were in a house with six other vampires who all held an impossibly perfected hearing range.

"I know how mad you are; how much you hate them. But you're trying to hide your feelings about me."

Mentally laughing, I sent him a wave of warm contentment, something I very rarely ever felt, and hoped he would understand the message. He simply shook his head and began whispering at a fast pace, forcing me to wonder what the hell he was saying and who he was talking to.

The only thing I managed to catch was, "Not a good idea."

And then he sighed and shook his head once more as the door to the room slowly opened, forcing me to take in a big gulp of air as Edward stepping through the doorway.

"Love…" He trailed off, inspecting my body.  
_Listing the imperfections, no doubt._

"E-Edward…" I stumbled out, feeling the air rush out of my lungs.

He stared at me with such pity in his eyes; it made me want to vomit. I didn't deserve his pity, let alone anyone else's. I dug my own grave.

_And I can't wait to lie in it._

He quickly crossed the room, and I pushed myself against the mattress. I was terrified of him, for the first time in my life, and I couldn't even blame it on what he was. He terrified me because I knew that _he_ was my breaking point, and I didn't want to feel again.

_He doesn't want you anyways. _The voice reminded me, as it often did.

_Dirty addict._

He sat himself by my bedside, glaring at Jasper, but Jasper had refused to leave the room, probably feeling my emotional state and recognizing the instability of it. Edward then turned to me, choosing to ignore Jasper's presence, and grabbed ahold of my hand.

I quickly pulled back with a shriek, and his eyebrows knit in confusion.

"Don't touch me!"

Jasper was on the other side of my bed within a second, pressing his hand to the pillow beside me and sending me waves of calm.

Edward sighed, "Bella, I would never hurt you."

_LIAR!_

Unable to control my inner rage, I somehow found it appropriate to spit in his face. His expression contorted from shock to disgust, but he wiped his cheek on his shirt sleeve and quickly regained his composure.

_Always too good for you, Bella._

"Bella, please. Just listen to me. Please?"

Sighing, I nearly cried as I stated, "I currently have no other choice."

Jasper, once again, sent me a wave of calming emotions, but they did nothing to help the angry, self-loathing voice that echoed through my mind as Edward spoke.

"I never thought I would see you again, Bella. And I never would have left you if Jasper hadn't-"

I interrupted immediately, "Jasper made a mistake, but what you did to me wasn't his fault."

Jasper's eyebrows rose, but he stayed silent, probably wondering if Edward would try to speak again.

As expected, Edward cleared his throat unnecessarily and then began to speak again, "Bella, I have to know. Why did you…?"

_Become a dirty addict?_

_Whore yourself out like the trash that you are?_

_Try to put yourself out of your own misery?_

Carefully, I found my voice, but I still managed to stutter through the majority of my sentence. "G-Get out, E-Edward."

Shocked, he tried to speak. "Bella, I know you're upset but-"

"Out."

Staring at me as he left the room, I realized I couldn't wait to go home.

_What home? Your corner back out on the streets, or that crack hole you call an "apartment"?_

When I came back into focus, I found Jasper staring at me oddly.

"You've been places."

I sighed, "Places you can't even imagine, Jasper."

He nodded and patted the pillow, careful not to touch me. I noticed him staring at my sleeves again and pushed my arms closer to my sides, careful not to let him pick up on my feelings.

I shut my eyes slowly, still on guard, and realized that I would find myself vulnerable to them once asleep. This, after sudden contemplation, seemed like the worst possible idea, so I attempted to sit up in my bed and hold myself back from the nearly overwhelming urge to sleep.

"Why?" He asked me quietly, although I knew that the others were listening carefully for any response I may have.

However, I knew they wouldn't understand our conversation, and I carefully worded my reply, telling him the honest truth while holding back everything that I could.

"Because I had no other options."

* * *

**SHOOT ME A REVIEW? :D**

**;3 Momo**


	3. Take Me Home

**A/N: Hey, guys! I'm sorry for the EPIC delay, but I got REEEALLY caught up in last semester, and I had absolutely ZERO time to write! I SWEAR to make it up to you though!**

**:3 Momo!**

"_Why?"_

"_Because I had no other options."_

Three days later, Jasper had yet to leave my bedside, and the only visitor I had was Carlisle, who continued to tell me that I should probably stay a few weeks. I, however, demanded to know immediately when I was considered medically well-enough to stand by myself. That day finally came, and I was redressing myself in my original clothes, blushing as Jasper stared at the wall as he sat in the corner.

"No need to be embarrassed, I'm going to stare at this wall until you tell me to move."

Feeling free enough to speak, since the other Cullens had left the home for a day-time hunt, I dared to make myself respond, "It doesn't matter; you already remember exactly what I look like naked."

Jasper choked on the air, and I chuckled to myself, until the voice kicked in.

_He shouldn't feel all too special, half of the male population of Seattle knows what you look like naked. What's one John, more or less?_

"You were the one that had to wash all the blood off my clothes, remember?"

With that statement hanging in the air, Jasper fell silent. That seemed to be the case with most things I said to him, and I was growing accustomed to the process of our conversations. Give it another three minutes, and he'd follow up with an out-of-nowhere question about the current state of my life.

Right on time, "So, where am I dropping you off?"

I sighed, still refusing to allow him to know my exact location, although I knew that he could just as easily look it up on one of the Cullens' many accessible databases. Sometimes, it was just nice to pretend like people had enough respect for me to leave what little privacy I had left alone, but the Cullens never respected anything other than their own selfish wishes.

"Pick a corner in Seattle," I told him. "I can find my way home from there."

_Or get run over by a truck on the way. Either or, it works for me…_

As soon as that thought hit me, I began scratching my arm, frantically hoping that Jasper wouldn't notice. I had come to the realization that it had been nearly four days since I had touched my knife, and my skin nearly burned with unexpressed self-loathing.

Immediately, I felt Jasper at my side, trying to calm me. Unable to get through to me in my shaken state, he tried to wrap his arms around me, causing a black wall of rage to contort my vision. I immediately found myself clawing at him and screaming, practically begging him to release me. His arms quickly fell to his sides, and his stared at me, partially in awe and partially in shock.

"Why isn't anybody allowed to touch you, Bella?" He asked in such a calm, soothing voice that my anger and fear immediately dissipated.

_Everybody touches me, Jasper, I'm a __**whore.**_

Instead of letting him hear all of my inner voice, I decided to tell him only a piece of the truth, "Lots of people touch me, Jasper. But I decide who, and I decide when."

For the rest of the afternoon, Jasper kept his distance from me and allowed me to move at my own pace, never breaking the silence hanging in the air between us. Eventually, we ended up in his Jaguar, headed back towards the city.

We were almost into the outskirts of Seattle when he looked over at me and asked, "So, any general direction that you'd like me to head in?"

"Fairview Drive." I replied solemnly, hoping he wouldn't think of the night he'd found me.

I was sadly disappointed in that hope as I saw a shiver run up his spine at the name of the street. Unfortunately, if I didn't want to wander through Seattle at three in the afternoon wearing nothing but my night "clothes", then I had to have Jasper drop me off in the general vicinity of my apartment, which just so happened to be two blocks away from Fairview Drive.

Jasper, driving slower than usual, pulled up to the intersection of Fairview and State ten minutes later, and I stared for a moment before unbuckling my seat belt.

"When are you all leaving?" I asked, more because I wanted to make sure nobody was still around to play Superhero than because I wanted to stop in for a visit.

"I'm not sure if we are." He told me, almost hesitantly.

That, that right there, was why I knew I had to get away from these fucking people. They had always treated me like I was breakable, but at this point I was cracked glass that they were trying not to shatter. I was sick and tired of people pretending like they actually gave a fuck when all they wanted was to glue the pieces back together really quickly and have a bright, shiny new Bella.

Not responding to him, I got out of Jasper's car, carefully adjusting the jacket around me to insure that nobody decided to ask if I was "working" while Jasper was still in the area. After a moment of staring at one another blankly, I honestly expected that Jasper would wise up and just drive away, but instead he stayed parked at the intersection, occasionally checking to make sure that no cars had built up behind him. Finally, I stepped backward onto the curb, and Jasper took the car out of park.

"So, I'll see you around, Bella?" He asked.

"I wouldn't count on that." I told him honestly as I turned away and began heading down the street, in the opposite direction of my apartment.

I got about a block down before turning left and finally hearing Jasper start his car. I could think of nothing worse than the idea of Jasper actually knowing the location of my home, and I tried to do a large loop around my neighborhood before I actually arrived at my doorstep, finding a rent notice taped the splitting wood of the frame. A hit of anxiety overwhelmed me, and I knew exactly what I wanted to do in that moment.

In the distance, I heard the engine of Jasper's Jaguar roaring over, and I found myself rummaging in my pockets, only to find that the beauty that I'd been searching for, my lucky knife, was missing. Angrily, I tried four times to put the key into the lock before I finally got it right, all the while looking like a madwoman, I'm sure, as I ranted and raved about disrespectful, nosy vampires who couldn't mind their own damn business.


	4. Open the Door

**Author's Note: I am, from now on, going to attempt a more regular update schedule, but have been ridiculously busy with this semester; I'm one step closer to a bachelor's degree! For those of you still hooked on this story, thank you, and please remember that it'll take me a moment to get back into the swing of things, but reviews genuinely help, so be honest and tell me what you think!**

It wasn't until nearly a week and a half later that I actually allowed myself to think back to my two, drugged up days at the Cullen home; I had quickly decided that seeing my deserters had one perk, and one perk alone – Carlisle's morphine. I spent hours wondering about how to fake injury, if only to get Jasper to project that amazing feeling onto me again. Deciding that it would only hurt more to see them than it would to allow this aching pain in my body to go untreated, I quickly pushed the thought away and decided to cope with the sobriety and the pain all by myself.

_Wonder if it would make it hurt less when I hit the ground and splat, _I thought to myself.

My inner voice, the tempting bitch that she was, chuckled, _Don't be silly. You'll be dead before you feel a single thing, sweetheart._

Deep down, I had just the slightest temptation to end it all, but I figured it could at least wait until I got off work that night. So, rummaging through a practically bare closet, I quickly pulled out a small, black jersey dress that barely touched the tops of my thighs. The large cutouts in the back and sides coupled with a ridiculously low v-neck made it perfect for the occasion – it was easy to reel them in with and easy enough to get on and off when I had to.

_Not like you could keep your clothes on even if you tried; why bother letting more material get in the way of your "occupation"? _She sneered at me, bringing back the temptation to use my Lucky.

I searched for it in earnest for nearly half an hour when I recalled that annoying fact that Jasper had confiscated it, at which I let out a loud screech.

"God damn!" I screamed, kicking my already broken sofa.

"Good for nothing!" Another kick.

"Nosy fucking VAMPIRES!" And, at that, I felt the small wood frame crack underneath my angry assault.

With a sigh, I calmed my temper and reigned in my emotions, determined that I would not let myself give a fuck about those stupid fucking people. Alright, so perhaps "calm" wasn't a word that really ever described me, but who could possibly resist the urge to feel that rush that comes with a new blade?

Rummaging through my kitchen drawers, I quickly found a pack of them and ripped it open with my teeth. I was dirty, disgusting, and sick, but at least I was through letting those useless fucking "people" run my life. Here, underneath that sharp, biting metal, I was in complete control. I got to decide when, where, how deep, how far, and with what my skin was slashed open, and there was nobody here to try to make those decisions for me.

There was no overbearing Edward, no overly concerned Carlisle, and no guilt-tripping Alice to take away the power I had over my life. It was the most euphoric feeling in the world: the feeling of complete control over every single inch of pain and scarring, every touch, every payment – it was all mine to decide.

I certainly hadn't gotten to the first time…

"_Dad, I don't WANT to go to Newton's party! I WANT to stay home and finish my calculus homework!"_

"_Bells, just go, please. You only have to go out for a few hours; I just want to know that you're still living a completely normal life."_

As the blade dug deeper into my skin, that night rapidly flashed in front of my eyes. It was the night of my first… everything, and it was horrible, terrifying, and utterly fantastic.

Oops!

"Fuck!" I yelled out, quieter than usual. The blade had done too much damage, and my slipped distractedly, causing more blood to trickle down my forearm.

Knowing I needed to be out on the street as soon as possible, I ran into the shower. Not my brightest idea, might I add, because I soon as I yanked on the tab, the cold water hit my bleeding arm with a vengeance, and it made the wound hurt all the more.

I decided that it just wasn't worth the concern and let the blood drip onto the shower floor as I washed my hair. I was in a rush, so all I worried about was shaving before I jumped out, towel drying my hair before I wrapped and bandaged my arm.

_Sure to be another great night out. _I thought to myself, shaking my hair out with a palm full of mousse for a bit of volume.

After two years of this crap, I knew exactly what they liked – those Johns. You see, there's a specific type that will always come to me: short hair, loosened tie, sweat palmed shining with an old gold band. Sometimes, they have the decency to take it off beforehand, but the indent is still there – just enough to remind me that I'm ruining someone's marriage, but the money in my hand reminds me of something more important – I don't actually care.

I suppose it's something about the innocence in my face that reels them in, but the barely-there clothes seem to make them all forget that I'm as young as their daughters. And somehow, those bastards always thought that their grimy hands and "endearing" faces are doing me some kind of favor.

"You're really luck I found you tonight," I hearg a couple times a week, "It could have been one of those other men – the nasty ones – who would have hurt you."

That's when I'd get up and leave. Nobody gets to pretend like they're my newfound Savior simply for the sake of making themselves feel better; I hope one day every bastard that rides up and down the drive has to go home to a wife who can smell me perfume; they don't deserve any less pain than I did.

_Ahh, but that's where you're wrong, Bella. They wouldn't be here at all if not for your filth offering it up to them._ She reminds me.

With that in my head, I decided it's time to quit thinking. There's not a single whore on Fairview that could match my level of self-degradation, and I couldn't let myself start to believe I was worth a single fucking dime.

_You're not._ She chimed in, and I let that loop run through my thoughts as I pulled on my dress over a lacy black bra.

With a quick halt to slip on my thick, strappy heels that I never could really walk comfortably in, I rushed out the door. It was nearly seven, and I had already probably already lost quite a few good paying Johns to Leela, a young, thin Latina who's actually names Mariella underneath the eight inches of makeup on her face. She typically reeled in the same type I did, and sometimes we lose clients to one another, but we were as close to friends as you could get in a scene like that.

"Hey, Reina!" She shouted from the building opposite to mine, "Where've you been? Luke rolled by an hour ago looking for you!"

Ahh, yes, Luke. Same type I was talking about earlier – gold ring, suit jacket, always pays just a little bit more out of pity, and he always offers a "you're welcome," as if he truly believed his extra ten mattered when my rent was over eight hundred a month.

"Busy." I told her, trying to make it clear that my personal life was no business of hers.

She nodded, getting the message before she pointed down the street. Quickly, I recognized the four door Sedan, dark brown, that Luke could always be caught driving.

_Guess the Mrs. would ask questions if the mini-van was gone for too long. _

Behind him, I noticed another car, one that most people would never be stupid enough to drive through the burrow of one of the most dangerous neighborhoods in Seattle – a cherry red Rolls Royce – a car I've only ever seen once in my life. That car belonged to Rosalie Cullen.

With a spark of anxiety, I rushed to the curb as Luke pulled up, climbing into the passenger seat before I could be seen by the driver just a minute behind him.

"Reina…" He sighed, reaching over to kiss me.

I allowed it but quickly pulled away as I saw Rosalie's car come to a stop behind us.

"Drive." I told him hurriedly, "Usual place."

He obliged with a questioning glance, not seeming to notice that the ostentatious car behind him was holding our trail.

"Did you have another… appointment?" He asked, stumbling over the words as if not acknowledging that I'm a prostitute would somehow make it better that he's cheating on his wife with a woman that he paid for.

I shook my head, knowing that he'd get angry if I were to even consider answering 'yes'; making Luke angry could be a dangerous thing, I'd learned.

"Good. Room three." He declared, pulling into the parking lot of the Motel 6 we declared as our "usual place".

Immediately, I rushed out of the car and up the stairs, catching the Royce in my peripheral vision. He ran up behind me, coming onto me the second that the door shut.

Apparently, I was being "eager", not terrified that one of the Cullens would spot me, and as usual, and Luke remained oblivious to my torment while he kissed down my neck and gave me the usual "you're so lucky" speech.

I heard a faint knock at the door when I'm gently pushed onto the bed, and bile rose in my throat. Not only because Luke somehow thought that softly fucking a hooker qualified as love making, but because I knew exactly who was behind that god damn door, and I was determined to pretend that I didn't until they went away.

"What?" Luke shouted, unbuckling his pants as he handed me a wad of bills that I quickly shoved into my bra.

"Is Isabella Swan with you?" I heard a masculine voice yell back, declaring a name that I hadn't used in a long, long time. It was then that I recognized the man behind the voice, one that shook me to the bones.

_Oh god! Emmett!_

Luke looked over at me, as if expecting an explanation to the strangers demanding entry, and I shrugged.

"No!" He yelled, getting angrier by the minute.

Just as his pants hit the ground, the room was met by a loud, dangerous crack – Emmett had punched a hole through the thick wooden door and was reaching in to unlock the handle.

Luke screamed, yanking his pants back up and fumbling with his belt as he stared at the door in awe.

Me? I didn't even flinch. I knew their plan, and I knew I didn't have a shot in hell at fighting back.

Faintly, as Emmett swung me over his shoulder, I heard Luke scream, "I want my money back!"

Rosalie met him with a deafening crunch as her fist connected with his jaw, and he dropped to the ground. I think Emmett might have been talking to me at that point, but I was entirely fixated on Rosalie's hand as she pulled on Luke's jaw and shoved three dirty, crumpled up hundred dollar bills into his mouth and spat in his face.

_Funny that she thinks you owe him that much… _She mused inside my head.

"Why, Bella, why?" I heard Emmett ask as he shook his head, bringing my mind back to the rock hard shoulder that was pressing into my stomach.

He didn't ever get an answer – he didn't need one – and I knew that I'd have plenty of time to make one up on the hour or two we were going to spend in the car.

Forks was a long way from Seattle.


	5. You Aren't Going Anywhere

**A/N: Hello my lovlies! I have missed you ever so! Read, Review, and Say Hello!**

**-M. :)**

And I was perfectly silent for that entire drive…

Rose and Emmett had both reached out in an attempt to understand exactly what I'd done, but I didn't even bother to acknowledge that they'd spoken; they would never understand where I had been or why, and I would always be the subject of judgment, ridicule, and pity.

_Not that you deserve any of it, Bella._ She echoed through my mind.

During this time, I could almost feel grateful for the Johns that decided they would use, abuse, and lose me; at least they never bothered to turn me into a community service project.

Leela, however, had always fallen for the men that wooed her. Chocolates and flowers got them a lower price, and they knew it. It wasn't a wonder that the girl was sobbing and heartbroken while she stood on her corner at _least_ every other week, realizing that she had let herself be hoodwinked _again_.

Me? I was never that naïve; these men didn't care about me anymore than they did the roadkill found on the side of the highway, and I had never bothered to believe that they did. Girls like 'Leela' needed comfort, because they always felt just a little guilty for the things that their daddies would cry if they sa, but I didn't give a shit, and neither did my 'daddy'. I wanted my money, and they wanted a good time; we found a logical agreement somewhere in the middle, but I was reluctant to even consider the Cullens' reaction when I laid this out for them clear as day.

And an hour and a half later, that is precisely what I did…

"We found her." Rose announced, gesturing to my deadly still body draped across her husband's shoulder. It was uncomfortable and pressing painfully into my still healing wounds, and I vaguely considered the idea of wiggling just a bit more until the scabs on my stomach tore off.

_Wouldn't that be a funny way to die? Murdered by the people who tried to save you?_

I noted, simply based off the shadows on the opposite side of Emmett, that Jasper was the first to run forward, then Esme. However, nobody dared touch me; I was already quaking in fear based on the fact that – without my explicit permission – Emmett had his hands on me. Carlisle wasn't so reluctant though, and he quickly pulled me from Emmett's body and set me upon the couch, immediately stepping several yards away from me to insure my comfort. I knew that there was something I had always liked about that man.

Until he decided to question me, that is.

"Isabella," He began, and I flinched at the reminder of who I once was, "where on Earth have you been? We have been _scouring_ Seattle in search for you since Jasper dropped you off, but you have absolutely no paper trail."

At that, I threw my head back and laughed.

_Go ahead,_ She told me, _tell them the truth. It's not like they could possibly think any less of you._

With that thought rumbling through my mind, I decided that there was really no point in lying to them; Emmett and Rose knew exactly what they had walked in on, and I knew that no matter how hard they tried to keep it from everyone, Edward would find the memory of me being handed money while lying half naked on a cheap motel's bed hidden somewhere within the minds of his siblings. So, I said what the hell and let my 'dirty little secret' out of the closet.

"Carlisle, I'm pretty sure that if I tried to write 'Customer Service Consultant' on my taxes, I'd have an IRS agent harassing me for the rest of my miserable life."

I didn't want to be so cruel to him, but my sarcasm was inevitable. After all, I had been technically kidnapped, and the really didn't sit well with my stomach or my paycheck.

"I'm afraid I don't follow…" He trailed off, his old nature making me immediately agitated, but I ended up busting out in laughter.

Thankfully, Rose decided to fill in the blanks as the entire family stared at my still-laughing form; I think realized that I must look absolutely hysterical, and I honestly probably _was_.

_You are._ She echoed.

"Bella," Rose informed them reluctantly, "is a Fairview Drive call girl."

Jasper sputtered, feeling that his ears must have deceived him; surely sweet, innocent Bella Swan had never hit that low. How could she? How could Charlie let her? I'll never know for sure, but I figure Jasper decided that very night that I needed to be saved, and that somehow that was his job. It kind of makes me laugh looking back on it now.

"She's a… what?" He shuffled out, seeming far more lost than I felt; it really was pretty humorous.

"A whore." I said flatly, "A streetwalker, a prostitute, a junkie: hence the euphemism 'call girl'."

At that, the Cullen family was genuinely speechless for the first time since I had met them, and I took that opportunity to really look at them: Edward had his judgy sneer covering his face, Carlisle and Esme were staring at me with eyes full of pity and regret, Alice was simply staring at me like an idiot with her jaw hanging open, and Jasper… well, I couldn't quite read him, but I didn't know if I really wanted to be able to.

"There will be no more of that." Esme announced, looking like her temporary fall off the high horse didn't affect her much at all. "You're with family now."

Everyone, aside from Edward, seemed to nod in agreement, and I was infuriated. Who the hell did they think that they were, coming into my life and trying to make the rules?

_Well, they can obviously tell that you can't exactly take care of yourself all too well, can you Bella?_ She echoed in my head, and I couldn't help but agree.

But that didn't mean that I was about to let the entire Cullen family ride back in on their white stallions and pretend that I was the family project all over again. I might not have been _better_ than that, but there was no shot in hell that I would let them make me weak again. They could all rot in hell for all I cared – except Jasper. He could just go jump off a cliff – since I know it wouldn't actually hurt him.

I just wanted to be left alone.

I sneered back at Esme, angry at her for throwing around the word "family" like it meant something.

"No. No, I am not. My name is Bella Swan, I _am_ a 'call girl', and I have no intention of letting all of you come back into my life and act as though you _didn't _**abandon **me. What I am going to do is walk out that door and pretend that this entire fucked up 'family' of yours doesn't exist, and all of you are going to go back to the lives you lived before Edward roped you in to taking care of his poor, pathetic human blood bag. I'll be on my corner; don't let me know if you need anything."

At that, Edward began to speak, and I walked past him towards the front door. Something physically stopped me, however; Alice had lifted me off the ground and begun to carry me towards Carlisle's makeshift hospital floor before I had even laid a finger on the doorknob.

Fuck these people.

**A/N: Please drop a review ;)**


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